New Improved Treatment for Heart Flutter

Results of a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association hold promise of a new treatment for atrial fibrillation. Also known as heart flutter, atrial fibrillation is caused due to faulty electrical waves in the heart and is marked by irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath and fainting.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic studied a new procedure called pulmonary vein ablation for the treatment of heart flutter. The procedure requires the insertion of a catheter into the heart to deliver radio frequency energy to the pulmonary vein which in turn corrects the faulty electrical waves.

Nearly 2.2 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, the most common form of unusual heart rhythm. There are drugs available to control the symptoms of the condition; however the condition often leads to more serious problems like stroke and heart failure despite treatment.

Ablation with pacing is another method of treating the condition. It involves creation of a small patch of scar tissue to block faulty signals. At the same time the treatment also requires insertion of a pacemaker to control the patient’s heart rate.

Doctors have been searching for better ways to treat atrial fibrillation without success. This new study by researchers offers hope of a quicker and better treatment for the condition. 71 patients with heart failure were covered under the study.

Heart failure is caused by weak heart muscle and leads to fluid build-up in the lungs and atrial fibrillation. When the two conditions occur together, they worsen each other and make treatment extremely difficult. Patients with atrial fibrillation account for 15% of all strokes occurrences. They are also at higher risk for blood clots and worsening heart failure.

Over the six month period of the trial, the researchers found that patients receiving the new treatment performed much better in a six-minute walk test. Improved pumping ability was also observed in the patients’ hearts. The new technique eliminated atrial fibrillation in 89% of patients, compared with 74% of patients getting an older treatment.

“Nobody knows what to do with people who have heart failure and atrial fibrillation,” Jennifer Cummings, Director of Electrophysiology Research at the Cleveland Clinic and co-author of the study, said. The older procedure “keeps the heart from going too fast, while the newer procedure keeps the heart from going too fast by curing the cause."

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